I Can Schools believes in big dreams

Network is set to extend outside Cleveland, and maybe
state

I Can Schools founders Jason Stragand, left, and Marshall Emerson III plan to open schools in Maple Heights, Akron and Canton this fall.

Given its strong enrollment and solid student outcomes, the charter school network hatched by Marshall Emerson III and Jason Stragand in 2010 has performed well, by all accounts. But rather than sit idly and watch their four schools mature, the duo is spreading their I Can Schools brand outside Cleveland.
This fall, I Can Schools plans to open schools in Maple Heights, Akron and Canton — an ambitious proposition that Mr. Emerson, a former fifth-grade teacher and current I Can Schools' chief executive, admits causes him to lose sleep at night.
Still, Messrs. Emerson and Stragand have big ideas for their enterprise, dreams that eventually could propel the I Can Schools network beyond Ohio and into urban strongholds such as Detroit and Chicago, which, like Cleveland, have stomached public school closures and are thirsty for other educational options.
“We know where the need is,” Mr. Emerson said, “and we know I Can Schools' programs can fill those gaps.”
On the local front, Mr. Stragand sees the possibility of opening single-gender schools, perhaps a school catering toward the performing arts or even a boarding school. I Can Schools officials say when they see a need related to education, their first inclination is to move in and set up shop while promising not to compromise the integrity of their existing schools.
Both Messrs. Emerson and Stragand were part of the team that launched the successful Entrepreneurship Preparatory School, or E Prep, in Cleveland, now a part of the nine-school Breakthrough Schools network. They launched their own enterprise so they could rear schools in their own vision and at their own feverish pace.
“It's hard for us to slow down,” said Mr. Stragand, I Can Schools' chief academic officer. “As much as we say we don't want to grow for a year and let our schools mature, it's hard. We're incredibly passionate, and it's really hard for us to stop, knowing that other cities are really hungry for a quality education.”

Beyond CLE

I Can Schools' new outpost in Akron — Akron Preparatory School — will occupy nearly 48,000 square feet in the former Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. headquarters on East Market Street on the city's East Side. The school signed on as the first tenant of the complex, which Industrial Realty Group LLC is redeveloping. IRG also led the development of Goodyear's new, $160 million headquarters that officially opened in May.
I Can also is setting up Canton College Preparatory School at St. Benedict Church on 3rd Street on the southeast side of Canton. Ohio College Preparatory School, I Can's new school in Maple Heights and its first in a suburban setting, will be located near the Southgate USA retail complex on Southgate Park Boulevard.
While he's confident enrollment will be strong at the new schools when they open this fall, Mr. Emerson said the charter school environment has become a slightly more difficult sell in recent years given the influx of new charters flooding the market and because of the negative press surrounding some charter management organizations.
“It's created a lot of noise for us,” Mr. Emerson said. “But we are really good at telling our story to families.”
When Messrs. Emerson and Stragand launched E Prep in 2006, the school was a relatively easy sell given that the model was so radically different than anything parents had seen before. Still, the two men say their track record over the last three years has been their best sales pitch.
Both are quick to note that their students are among the best performing on statewide assessments and all of their students perform at or above grade level after three years in the I Can Schools network. Plus, all their students who graduated from eighth grade went on to a college preparatory high school.
Mr. Stragand said the schools through regular assessments are able to identify students who are falling behind and place them into after-school tutoring and Saturday school to ensure they're ready to move on to the next grade the following year.
“Marshall and I are not opening schools to just say we are opening more schools,” Mr. Stragand said. “We're doing it to make an impact on urban education.”

Breakthrough pauses

Breakthrough Schools, which works closely with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and is perhaps Cleveland's best-known charter management organization, hasn't set its sights beyond Cleveland, though it could be only a matter of time.
John Zitzner, the outspoken charter school advocate who steers the fundraising arm for the organization, said Breakthrough will explore the possibility during its strategic planning process this summer.
“I couldn't say today that we're definitely going to go outside of Cleveland, but everything is up for discussion,” Mr. Zitzner said. “Our current plans are to stay in Cleveland, but if there's opportunity elsewhere and a community wants us, it all comes down to whether the proper facilities and funding are available to make that happen.”
Mr. Zitzner, meanwhile, has never been an opponent of bringing other charter organizations into the fold. He, for one, encouraged Mr. Emerson to pursue his I Can Schools venture. He's also looking to bring together high-performing charters in the Cleveland area to collaborate on best practices.
“We're reaching out to get some of the other high-performing charters to come in and collaborate with us in the district to be a city that thrives with a variety of schools,” Mr. Zitzner said.